What to wear to a medical assisting interview
After earning a medical assisting degree you will begin the process of searching and interviewing for open positions. Medical assistants are generally responsible for many of the administrative tasks in doctors’ offices, such as scheduling appointments, which means they have lots of direct interaction with patients and need to look professional at all times. Even if you hope to focus on more clinical duties like drawing blood and giving medication, you’ll need to dress to impress for your interview.1
Men
Because you are applying for a position in the medical field, it’s best to stay on the conservative side. If you don’t already own a dark-colored business suit, you may want to think about making an investment because it is the go-to outfit for interviews and business functions. Choose a dark color like deep blue, gray or black, and wear a tie that’s not too flashy. Even if you plan to wear scrubs on the job, you should never under any circumstances wear them to the interview – it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed.2
Women
As with the interview attire for men, it’s better for women to lean toward conservatism when constructing an outfit for their medical assisting interviews.3 While men can just throw on the same suit for every interview, it’s a little more complicated for women. Stick to dark colors and wear a slacks or a business-like skirt that hits you approximately at the knee. Blouses, blazers and suit jackets are acceptable on top, and jewelry should be kept to a minimum – you don’t want to distract from your excellent interviewing etiquette!4
Working interview
While this likely won’t happen during your initial interview, if you are asked back for a second round it’s possible that you will be required to do a working interview to demonstrate your medical assisting abilities. In this case, it may be acceptable to wear scrubs, so you should ask the interviewer beforehand what attire he or she would recommend.5
1 Archer, Jan, The Houston Chronicle, ‘What to Wear For a Medical Assistant Interview,’ 2013 – http://work.chron.com/wear-medical-assistant-interview-3875.html
2 Archer, Jan, The Houston Chronicle, ‘What to Wear For a Medical Assistant Interview,’ 2013 – http://work.chron.com/wear-medical-assistant-interview-3875.html
3 Glassdoor, ‘What To Wear To An Interview,’ April 24, 2012 – http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/wear-interview/
4 Archer, Jan, The Houston Chronicle, ‘What to Wear For a Medical Assistant Interview,’ 2013 – http://work.chron.com/wear-medical-assistant-interview-3875.html
5 Vulcan, Nicole, Global Post, ‘How to Dress for an Interview in the Health Field,’ 2013 – http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/dress-interview-health-field-5663.html